LIMON — Colorado has launched the world's first-ever inmate-run radio show.
It's called "Inside Wire" and is produced and run by inmates in three of the Department of Corrections prisons in the state: Limon Correctional Facility, Sterling Correctional Facility, and Denver Women's Correctional Facility.
The program is through the University of Denver Prison Arts Initiative, which works to bring creative opportunities to inmates.
For Executive Director of the Department of Corrections Dean Williams, it's another opportunity to rethink what prisons and inmates look like.
Williams wants there to be a focus on changing prison culture.
"If you have a prison culture where it's us against them and the people in our custody are like, we hate you, we have nothing in common with you and they're fighting against us, prison culture becomes really dark," Williams said.
Williams is working to change the way people think about the prison system. The radio program is another way to do that.
Over the three years that Williams has been at the helm of the Department of Corrections there have been numerous discussions and changes for inmates serving time in Colorado.
For inmates like Jody Aguirre, who is serving a life sentence, it's an opportunity for change.
"There's so many people in here that are good people that made a mistake, that were thrown away as irredeemables," Aguirre said, "I think the more important aspect should be healing, and I want to use this as a healing platform."
The program is prerecorded and then broadcast on Colorado Prison Radio.
To listen in click the following link: Colorado Prison Radio.
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